Volkswagen Beetle Denim and Bettle Dune launches

November 21, 2015

Volkswagen have pulled out all the nostalgic punches by launching two new variants of the fan-favorite Beetle – the Beetle Denim and the Beetle Dunne.

The special edition 2016 Beetle Denim according to Volkswagen pays homage to the 1970s Jeans Bug as it offers a modern take on the classic model.

Volkswagen said the 2016 Beetle Denim will have a short run of 2,000 limited edition units and will be available in Pure White or Stonewashed Blue colors.

The car’s convertible top will be covered in dark blue denim like material. The rest of the car, including the interior will also sport lots of denim-inspired designs including back pockets and even a red-tab to resemble a pair of blue jeans.

The 2016 Beetle Denim will be made available in the United States with a 1.8-liter turbocharged and direct-injection TSI® engine. The car also packs a six-speed automatic transmission, and produces 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque.

The 2016 Beetle Dune one the other hand acknowledges the existence of the old Baja Beetle.

Available in coupe or convertible variants, the Dune offers more aggressive styling and raised ground clearance.

The new model sits higher and has a wider track and will be sold alongside the rest of the Beetle family.

The model is very likeable as a new lighting package has been added to augment the new front bumper. It has a larger air intake and 18-inch wheels that augment its raised look. The model also comes with a new 6.3-inch infotainment system.

The 2016 Beetle Dune will be available in three exterior colors: Sandstorm Yellow, Pure White, or Deep Black Pearl.

The Beetle Dune is also equipped with a 1.8-liter direct-injection and turbocharged TSI® four-cylinder engine. The powerful engine offers 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque which is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

The Dune coupe will go on sale in the first quarter of 2016, while the Dune Convertible will arrive in the third quarter of the year.

2017 Hyundai Elantra revealed at Los Angeles Auto Show

John Adebimitan

November 20, 2015

The Elantra compact-design sedan was given a new face at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday. The new Hyundai Elantra has been transformed into a car that comes with mainstream styling and superficial edge-cutting designs.

The latest Hyundai Elantra gets Hyundai’s hexagonal grille along with front wheel air curtains that were gotten from Sonata Hybrid, which has helped to improve air flow and decrease fuel usage.

Hyundai is now overhauling its designs ethos and gradually moving away from the popular edgy thematic that has been seen on past models of Hyundai cars. The designers of the Hyundai Elantra replaced the lumpy headlights with a better mainstream design.

At the Los Angeles Auto Show, Hyundai stated in its 3,000-word press release that the Hyundai Elantra has an interior space that beats that of the Audi A4 and the Acura ILX.

The length of the car was increased by an addition 0.8-inches and its width was given an extra 1-inch.

Speaking of the newly released car, Hyundai said:

“the new Hyundai Elantra projects complete confidence by coming with sculpted body forms along with smoothly contoured lines that reveal the underlying inspirations of our designers. Inspired by the concept of dynamic precision, our architecture was a perfect platform for collaboration between our designers and our engineers to blend advanced styling with functional aerodynamics. Bolstered with more high-strength steel, the 2017 Hyundai Elantra is stiffer and quieter.”

The Hyundai Elantra sports a 2-liter powertrain and a 4-cylinder engine with 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet torque which was capped with a six-speed manual transmission and a six-speed automatic transmission.

The Hyundai Elantra features an optional Elantra Eco which comes with a1.4-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and a seven-speed dual clutch transmission that jointly delivers 128 horsepower, 156 feet torque and a fuel economy rating of 35 mpg.

According to Hyundai, the car will be assembled in Montgomery, Ala, and in South Korea (Ulsan).

Controversy follows claims Nigerian lecturer solved 150 year-old Mathematical problem

Emmanuel

November 20, 2015

A Nigerian lecturer, Dr. Opeyemi Enoch, according to reports, has provided a solution to the Riemann hypothesis, a mathematical problem which has been unsolved for over 150 years.

The Riemann Zeta Hypothesis is one of the seven Millennium problems set forth by the Clay Mathematics Institute with a million Dollar reward for each solved problem for the past 16 years.

With the development, Dr Enoch, who is a lecturer at the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), becomes the fourth egghead to resolve one of the seven Millennium Problems in Mathematics.

As the first person to provide a solution, Dr. Enoch is set to receive a million dollar prize.

The Kogi State-born mathematician had, before now, worked on mathematical models and structures for generating electricity from sound, thunder and Oceanic bodies.

Speaking in an interview with BBC, Dr. Enoch said that the motivation to solve the problem came from his students, who brought it to him with the hope of making $1 million “off the Internet.”

“Those my students trusted that the solution could come from me,” he said, adding that he was motivated by their trust, “not because of the financial reward.”

A statement recently released in Ado Ekiti explained how the scholar arrived at the solution of the problem.

“Dr Enoch first investigated and then established the claims of Riemann. He went on to Consider and to correct the misconceptions that were communicated by Mathematicians in the past generations, thus paving way for his solutions and proofs to be established,”

it said.

The statement added that Dr Enoch presented the Proof on November 11, 2015 during the International Conference on Mathematics and Computer Science in Vienna, Austria.

The day reportedly falls on the exact day and month 156 years after the problem was delivered by Bernhard Riemann, a German Mathematician in 1859.

However, a new report by Quartz says the Clay Mathematics Institute has refused to confirm the news of Enoch’s solution.

The Institute reportedly said “the current status of the problems and complete information about each” is available on the institute’s website.

Of the seven Millenium problems listed on the institute’s website, only the Poincaré Conjecture is listed as solved.

It was solved by Grigoriy Perelman in 2003. All the other six problems, including the Riemann Hypothesis, remain listed as unsolved.

Minister of Science and Technology assures Nigerian youths to Expect massive Jobs

Jia Khan

November 19, 2015

Mr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology in Nigeria had said on Monday that ministry will create opportunities for the employment and empowerment of youth in the country.

Onu made the statement during a meeting with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

The Minister had stated that to meet the challenges of the modern world, it is very much essential to create the right opportunities for the fresh Nigerian minds in order to excel.

“Nigeria will excel in the sector of science and technology in order to stand with other developed countries of the world,. Establishing the cell will only focus on creating the right opportunities to accommodate the teeming youth so that they can contribute in the national development,’’

Ministry is focusing on establishing new programs for the empowerment of the youth. The Ministry is also looking for such stakeholders, who are ready to contribute towards nation.

The Minister appreciated the services provided by UNIDO and suggested that the organization should take innovative steps for African countries, especially Nigeria.

Onu has given an affirmative response to UNIDO to work in collaboration and has planned for the establishment of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in Nigeria.

Mr. David Tommy has been urging the Federal Government to minimize the industrial skills gap to work for the betterment of skills.

Tommy suggested to the government to avail the services of the youth as it makes almost 44% of the whole Nigerian population.

“The youth in Nigeria is qualified up to the expectations, but it lacks the necessary basic skills for sustainable development. It is essential to train the youth with industrial and development skills.”

Tommy also said that development is impossible without bringing reforms in the agricultural sector.

Minister Onu’s concerns for the development and betterment of youth is a big step forward and will work for the revolution of the country as a whole.

2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT, Wrangler launches

John Adebimitan

November 19, 2015

In anticipation for the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show, Jeep had revealed its 2016 model of the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT and a new Jeep Wrangler Backcountry. The show was originally slated to begin on November 18 2015.

Jeep is following the lead of many other car makers who have built special editions of their car models. Some of these cars are Rolls Royce’s Phantom Drophead Coupe Nighthawk, Nissan’s Juke Midnight and Cadillac’s CTS Midnight. The Fiat-Chrysler owned company released really sleek and beautifully designed cars.

The car sports darker stealth-like finishes both inside and outside and it is available in three colors—velvet red, bullet silver and granite crystal.

Each model of the car features satin black 20-inch wheels, frill surround, front and rear badging. The roof, seven slot front grille bezels, rear spoiler and B and C pillars are all furnished with gloss black finishing.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT is one car that comes with a lot of substance, top creativity and unseen fashion. The upgraded Cherokee SRT still features the original Grand Cherokee’s powertrain.

The car copies the same 475 horsepower, 470 pounds per foot torque 6.4 liter V8 engine that runs under the hood of the original Grand Cherokee.

This new car may share some similarities with the original Grand Cherokee, but it cost much more than the original Grand Cherokee; priced at $5,000.

The new Jeep Wrangler is a special edition that has been named the ‘Backcountry’. It comes with a winter theme that is buried in five colors.

This Backcountry has distinguished itself with its 17-inch black rims, black hardtop, Rubicon rock nails and Backcountry decals that are on the front and rear corner panels. The car comes with a nine-speaker sound system, black slush mats and piano black trimmings on the vents and handles.

These new cars are top market bangers, so customers can be expecting to get them soon. Information reaching us is that the 2016 Jeep Wrangler Backcountry will be arriving by the end of this month while customers will have to eagerly await the arrival of the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT in the first quarter of 2016.

Toyota Innova 2016 launches on November 23

Emmanuel

November 18, 2015

Veteran vehicle manufacturer, Toyota, is set to launch the new-generation Innova 2016 on November 23, 2015.

The Indonesian subsidiary of the company has started issuing invitations for the launch event of the all new vehicle, which will replace existing models across the world.

This will be the second generation of Innova and it is coming nearly 11 years after the introduction of the nameplate in Indonesia, the first market for the MPV.

Although pricing of the new vehicle hasn’t been announced, dealerships in Indonesia have started accepting bookings for it in three main variants – G, V and Q.

Compared to the old model, extensive changes have been made on the exterior, interior and powertrains of the Innova 2016.

The new vehicle features LED projector headlamps. Its front fascia has a big hexagonal grille with two thick chrome slats on the top that blend into the headlamps.

The rear of the MPV has newly designed tail lamps, while the changes on side are new quarter glass and alloy wheels.

Toyota’s 2016 Innova shares a strong ladder-frame platform with the 2016 Toyota Fortuner and Hilux Revo. It measures 4,735 mm in length, 1,830 mm in width, 1,795 mm in height and 2,750 mm in wheelbase.

The vehicle is powered by a GD 2.4-litre diesel engine that develops 147bhp and 359Nm of torque, and is mated to a manual gearbox.

The diesel engine for the first time is also available with automatic transmission which will have a slightly lesser torque of 342.2Nm than its manual gearbox counterpart, but the power remains the same.

The vehicle’s in-line four-cylinder 2000cc VVT-i petrol engine will develop 137bhp and 183Nm of torque, and will be available with manual and automatic transmissions.

All the variants of the new Innova are equipped with Anti lock brake system (ABS) with EBD, dual SRS airbag and knee airbag, while the Q variant boasts of side airbags and curtain shield airbag.

A touchscreen entertainment system and alloy wheels are standard across all variants of the vehicle.

Microsoft Reveals two New PowerPoint 2016 Features

Jia Khan

November 18, 2015

Microsoft has revealed that the latest version of PowerPoint 2016 Office suite will possess two new creative features, named Designer and Morph, to handle the presentations in a more professional way.

These features will enable the Office 365 users to polish their slides and add eye-catching motion effects to their slide shows.

The first feature, Designer, was created to give an extra command over the presentation rather than sticking to the control system.

Microsoft’s Chris Maloney said that the purpose of creating Designer is to reduce the number of clicks for a particular task and exclude the complexities of advanced controls.

Maloney also explained that Designer will reduce up to 150 essential clicks for a presentation task, ultimately saving the user from stress. Designer will also enable the users to create extraordinary presentations even with a little knowledge of PowerPoint.

To meet the goal, almost 1200 designs have been added to the template. In order to save people from boredom, Designer checks the inserted images and inserts only the useful content related to the task.

Office corporate Vice President Kirk Koenigsbauer stated in a web post:

“The release of these features is the first step towards evolution of Power Point. Designer and Morph are smart tools that will enable users to design like professionals.”

The second innovative feature, Morph, makes transition animations easy to pull off. Two different slides are merged into each other, fading one’s elements through transitions. If there is a chart that expands to two slides, Morph will automatically shrink it to display in one slide.

Long and oddly designed presentations with bouncing texts and weird shades have always been disliked by the audience as well as the presenter. But Morph handles the slides intelligently by smoothly replacing one slide with another.

Users of Office 365 can now tune their PowerPoint to receive the latest updates and enjoy the awesome ride.

Cheki Nigeria Partners MTN on Car Tracking Service

Emmanuel

November 18, 2015

Multinational online car market platform, Cheki, has partnered with MTN, Africa’s largest telecommunication company to introduce car tracking services in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country.

The service will be rolled out majorly to car dealers in the Northern part of the country, especially Abuja, Kaduna and its environs.

The company announced the solution at its annual Abuja Dealers’ Forum 2015 which was targeted at tackling automobile security issues in Nigeria.

Mr. Ayoola Ajagbe, the SME Account Partner of Enterprise Solution for MTN Nigeria, assured that the machine–to –machine tracking service, which entails the use of a high-tech device, ensures that customers have full control of their vehicles at all times.

He explained that the device comes with state of the art technology which allows users to set and regulate speed limits of their cars.

He said the device can trace the locations of users’ vehicles and shut them down on request if stolen- all from the comfort of the phone.

Hence the days of stolen or lost vehicles are over with the introduction of the devices, which, according to Mr. Ajagbe, played a major role in assisting security operatives in apprehending vehicle thieves.

He also mentioned that the devices have recorded a 98 per cent success rate in assisting customers with vehicle recoveries.

The MTN official affirmed that the machine has been well scrutinized and that it has been approved by the National Communications Commission (NCC).

General Manager of Cheki Nigeria, Mrs. Tomi Hodonu, expressed delight at the security solutions being offered to Nigerians.

“Cheki Nigeria is indeed very proud to be working with a highly respected brand like MTN, especially regarding issues we are very passionate about as an organization,”

she said.

She stated that the company gives the utmost attention to its customers and that it’s ever ready to ensure that they are satisfied and can do business safely and securely.

Director General of the Nigeria Automotive Design and Development Council, Engr. Aminu Jalal, added that the federal government of Nigeria and the council have plans to increase the percentage of local content in the Nigeria Automobile Industry.

Cheki operates in over 9 African countries, acting as a one stop destination for leading car dealers, importers and private sellers post their cars for sale in Nigeria and other African countries.

Fallout 4 and Black Ops III Record Big Sales

John Adebimitan

November 15, 2015

Fallout 4 and Black Ops III were recently released, and these two games have experienced tremendous success in market in just few days after launching.

It was discovered that the Black Ops III has generated revenue of over $550 million in three days, making the shooter game the biggest launch of the year in the gaming industry. The game has beaten the former record holder – Microsoft’s Halo 5.

The Black Ops launched on November 6th and by November 9th, the number of sales rose significantly, and the international acceptability was felt after the company was able to sell this game in all the parts of the world.

The Black Ops III is now the only Call of Duty game which has commanded more hours per player in the space of a week after players logged over 75 million hours in just 3 days, making it the record holder for the most engaging game.

Fallout 4 also enjoyed a measure of success, commanding lots of sales after few days of its release.

Bethesda has announced that the company shipped over 12 million copies of the game on the day the game was launched, making it the most pre-ordered game this year.

If figures are put together, Fallout 4 could be one of the most successful game of the year because the pre-order in the first 24 hours is put in excess of $750 million.

Many retailers who got their shipment have already started informing Bethesda of the interest the game is drawing and how well it can do in market. Bethesda is still rolling out more shipments of the Fallout 4 to meet the high market demand.

The Fallout 4 is now the most successful game from Bethesda after it beat the 7 million shipment and the 3.5 million sales of the Elder Scroll V: Skyrim in 48 hours. The Fallout 4 also set a record for being the most-viewed game launch.

UBTECH Alpha 2 Humanoid Family Robot launched

Emmanuel

November 13, 2015

Humanoid robotics startup UBTECH has announced that it is building the new Alpha 2 humanoid robot, the first ever robot designed for practical household service and companionship.

UBTECH is launching a crowdfunding campaign for the Alpha 2 robot, which is fully programmable and is expected to run on an open-source Operating System.

“We are looking forward to launching the Alpha 2 and fulfilling our dream of enabling every family to have its own intelligent robot,”

said James Chow, CEO of UBTECH.

“We hope our crowdfunding effort will drive both excitement and support for this new technology,”

he added.

UBTECH said the robot provides cloud services and leverages intelligent voice & perceptual systems to receive commands and execute corresponding behaviors.

Hence it is capable of simultaneous interpretation, voice search, visual interaction and providing verbal reminders.

The Alpha 2 robot will offer ultrasonic, touch and pressure sensors in order to provide a responsive, intuitive platform in the same way contemporary smartphones do.

The robot is expected to extend today’s reliable and intelligent technology to a programmable humanoid device with a smart brain and a nimble body. The robot will have unprecedented level of flexibility and efficient movement.

The Alpha 2 robot features a brain that is connected to a cloud that gives it access to a great deal of audio and visual processing power. Using this information, the Alpha 2 can perform tasks such as managing weekly calendars, and engaging in free talks.

The robot can also follow verbal instructions and take high quality photographs and post them to social media.

It can also perform home security monitory alerts, entertain children, guest and pets and report the weather.

In terms of battery life, the Alpha 2 is expected to run for approximately one hour under standard usage before running down. Then it needs to be charged via a wall plug for approximately two hours.

Participating in the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign saves one $200 (roughly 40,000 Naira) when purchasing the robot as its expected retail price when it begins to ship on February 16 is $700 (about 140,000 Naira).

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